Space on the Tube is priceless during the summer heat. Here's one
counter-intuitive way to keep sweaty commuters at bay

With temperatures on the London Underground peaking at 34.8C this week - hotter than the legal limit for transporting cattle - space on the Tube, and on public transport in general, has never been so precious.

If you'd rather not have a sweaty commuter encroaching on your personal space, here’s a trick for you. You can keep the seat next to you free by being counter-intuitive. Instead of repelling other passengers by, say, trying to occupy the space with your bag, you need to do the opposite and act like you really want someone to sit down.

The tip is mentioned in Derren Brown's book Tricks of the Mind. But does it work? Is this technique really capable of securing your Tube territory? I spent a day finding out.

Of course it’s contemptible to put your bag on the seat during busy times. But for the purposes of this test, I did just that, to see what would happen. People were reluctant to ask me to move it and some even preferred to stand rather than risk confrontation.

“People are scared to approach strangers, especially in the city”, explained Dr Pauline Rennie-Peyton, a psychologist from London. “People hear stories of attacks by apparently normal-looking individuals, so there is a sense of paranoia and a reluctance to confront people”. Finally my conscience gave me the kicking I deserved and I removed my bag.

It was time to try the tip. I slouched over two seats, staying in that position until a passenger boarded and began sniffing around for somewhere to sit. Once they approached I smiled and moved across, motioning to the vacated seat in a manner designed to convey what a pleasure it would be to have their bottom next to mine. Everyone avoided me, preferring to track down another seat, or remain standing. The tactic had the same success rate as when I had my bag occupying the seat next to me.

The hyperreal badlands of the Tube

You don’t even need to be that obvious. In the hyperreal badlands of the Tube the smallest signal can be enough. I found that merely adjusting the angle of my paper in order to accommodate a fellow passenger was enough to put people off. “People worry that if a stranger appears friendly they might want something or they might get caught in a conversation they’d rather not have”, said Dr Rennie-Peyton.

The tactic worked throughout the day, even around 4pm when the first tremors of rush hour were felt. But, unsurprisingly, during it’s epicentre people pursued seats with such wild abandon that any tactic short of vomiting on the armrest proved ineffective.

It was 8pm and I was ready to call it a day when an anomaly occurred. A woman entered the carriage. She had light brown hair and was wearing a black dress. As I had done with the others, I smiled and offered her the seat and was surprised when she smiled back and sat down. She was a tourist from Portugal. We talked about our home towns, art, and how to find the Bakerloo line.

Our fellow passengers seemed impressed; perhaps they felt a longing for something that, in the miserly scramble for personal space, we have lost. Another psychologist, Martin Lloyd-Elliott, explained: “The general state of disconnection that is the norm on public transport is emblematic of the breakdown of community… So my challenge to your readers is this – be bold! Be pleased when the space next to you becomes occupied, strike up a conversation and start rebuilding community”.

Your view

Do you have tips on protecting your personal space on the Tube? Tweet @telegraphtravel with your suggestions, or leave a comment below.